BURMA'S NLD CONTINUES TO SHED ITS MEMBERS

C O N F I D E N T I A L RANGOON 000248

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV; PACOM FOR FPA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/24/2015
TAGS: PGOV PHUM BM NLD
SUBJECT: BURMA'S NLD CONTINUES TO SHED ITS MEMBERS

REF: A. RANGOON 224

B. RANGOON 196

Classified By: COM Carmen Martinez for Reasons 1.4 (b,d)


1. (C) Summary: This week the National League for Democracy
expelled three more members from its ranks. They are
youthful party activists who appear to be tired of the "wait
and see" mentality of the octogenarian leadership of the
NLD's Central Executive Committee. The NLD leadership seems
determined to prevent the GOB from deregistering it as an
official political party. End Summary.


2. (SBU) On February 22, Burma's National League for
Democracy party (NLD) expelled three members. Added to the
18 who were dismissed a week earlier (see Ref A),this brings
to 21 the number of members dropped so far this year. The
three latest expulsions were Kyaw Min, Myint Kyaw Oo, and
Thurein, all of Rangoon Division. All three were part of a
youth faction that distributed copies of the U.N. Human
Rights Declaration on May 30, 2004 to commemorate the attack
on ASSK's convoy a year earlier. Myint Kyaw Oo was arrested
after that incident.


3. (C) The three appear to have been dismissed for being too
active and for not being willing to accept the Central
Executive Committee's (CEC) "wait and see" attitude. Sources
say that younger members of the NLD are unable to discuss
ideas directly with CEC members, but must communicate through
intermediaries. The reason for the latest dismissals appears
to differ from the dismissals last week. When poloff met two
of those 18 dismissed members earlier this week, they
surmised that they were expelled for supporting the idea of a
"parallel government," but when they asked NLD Secretary U
Lwin why they were being dismissed, he replied, "I'll explain
it to you later."


4. (C) Comment: The NLD octogenarian leadership appears
determined to shed the party of "trouble makers,"
particularly those whose ideas or activities might draw too
much scrutiny of the party by the SPDC. The NLD wants to
ensure that it remains one of the ten political parties that
have not been deregistered by the GOB. End Comment.
Martinez